Active-oxygen treatment for human head hair



A. GUHL 3,058,233

ACTIVE-OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR HUMAN HEAD HAIR Oct. 16, 1962 Filed Se pt.4, 1958 INVENTOR A ugust @u/z] United States Patent 3,058,233ACTIVE-OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR HUMAN WAD HAIR August Guhl, Wilfried Strasse7, Zurich, Switzerland File-d Sept. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 759,019 2 Claims.(Cl. 34-99) When drying hair, for example when washing, dyeing,bleaching or undulating same, it is known to set certain hoods on thehead in order to render possible a rapid drying of the hair. Such hoodsare provided with a blower and a heating element.

When bleaching, dyeing and undulating the hair of human heads, oxygen isrequired for bringing about an om'dation, the oxygen being mixed withsteam and carried thereby to the point of application. The outflowinggaseous media propagate very obnoxious odors which are very inconvenientnot only for the person being treated but also for other persons in themore or less immediate vicinity. A further inconvenience is that the airin the room or rooms is impaired with a more or less permanent efiect.

The subject matter of my present invention is a method of applyingactive oxygen when drying hair on the human head, and a device forcarrying out such method. Said method is characterised in that activeoxygen is produced directly within the range or" the point of treatmentand is fed, by means of dry and warm air as carrier, to the hair to bedried. The device suitable for carrying into effect said methodcomprises a hood known per se, and is characterized by the fact that insaid hood are arranged in sequence an electrical ozone generator, aheating element and a blower; the whole in such arrangement that thegeneration of oxygen, the mixing of the latter with warm air, and thefeed of said air and oxygen to the points of hair treatment take placeimmediately above the latter within said hood.

One form of the invention is shown, by way of example, in the drawingwhich is a side view partly in section.

A hood 1 known per se and open at its lower end, is adjustably mountedon an articulated stand 2. The lower rim of the hood is inwardly archedat 3. On the middle portion of the hood is mounted an ozone generator 4which functions according to the principle of quiescent discharge ofwhich the construction per se is known. Of importance merely is thatquiescent discharges occur, in contradistinction to discharges with openspark gaps. Oxygen generated by means of open spark gaps is not suitedfor drying hair for the purpose envisaged, since thereby is producedbesides ozone a substantial amount of nitric oxide of which the presenceis impermissible for hair drying. Spaced below the ozone generator andinside the hood is disposed an electrical heating element 5 of annularshape and comprising two spaced, superposed resistance wire coils. Inplace of the latter may be used an infra-red element. Disposed below theheating element 5 is a blower formed of a motor 6 mounted centrally inthe hood and fan blades 8 mounted on the axle 7 of said motor. A closuregrating 9 prevents access to the parts 4, 5 and 8. By means of aregulator 10, the flow of current and, therefore, the amount of ozone tobe produced by the generator 4, may be set or determined as desired.

The ozone (O generated by the ozone generator is drawn downwardly by theblower or blades and fed through the grating 9 to a point of haircontact which is situated within the range of the open hood space. Theoxygen passing from the ozone generator is deflected by the motorhousing 6 towards the heating element and thereby is mixed with the airstream which enters through the louvers 11. Outside air enters throughthe louvers 11. The outside air drawn into the upper end of the hoodthrough the openings 11 by means of the fan blades 8 passes over thelower side of the ozone generator 4 and is at that point mixed with thegenerated ozone and this mixture will thereafter pass over the heatingwires 5 and be warmed. This operation definitely results from theshowing of the apparatus in the figure of the drawing so that the air ismixed with the ozone and then heated. The drawing is believed to showthat the ozone generated by the member 4 mixes with the air drawn inthrough the inlets 11 and this mixture being drawn downwardly by thefans 8 passes over the resistance elements 5 to be heated. Oxygen andwarm air, well mixed, pass to the hair, said air being dry having beenheated by the element 5. The ozone, which is indispensable for aidingthe process of oxidation when bleaching, dyeing and undulating the hair,thus is generated within the hood and in vicinity of hair contact. Ofimportance is that the ozone generated is not contacted by nor mixedwith steam, since thereby the favorable efiect would be impaired, ascontact with wet elements lead to a spontaneous decomposition of theozone.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a nowpreferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understoodby those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention and it is intended, therefore, tocover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A device for drying human head of hair comprising an upper hoodportion and a lower hood portion, said portions being separated by aperforate partition, air inlet means in said upper hood portion andblower means mounted in said upper hood portion below said air inletmeans for drawing air in through said air inlet means and for deliveringair to said lower portion, heater means mounted in said upper hoodportion, and ozone generating means mounted in said upper hood portionabove and in close proximity to said heater means, whereby said airdrawn into said upper hood portion is ozonized and heated prior todelivery to said lower hood portion.

2. A device for drying human head of hair comprising an upper hoodportion and a lower hood portion, said portions being separated by aperforate partition, means for circulating air through said upper hoodportion and from said upper hood portion to said lower hood portion,heater means mounted in said upper hood portion in the path of saidcirculating air, ozone generating means in said upper hood portion inthe path of said circulating air above said heater means, whereby saidair in said upper hood portion is ozonized and heated prior to deliveryto said lower hood portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent France Apr. 23,

1. A DEVICE FOR DRYING HUMAN HEAD OF HAIR COMPRISING AN UPPER HOODPORTION AND A LOWER HOOD PORTION, SAID PORTIONS BEING SEPARATED BY APERFORATE PARTITION, AIR INLET MEANS IN SAID UPPER HOOD PORTION ANDBLOWER MEANS